ALSTON BAR & BEEF | MANCHESTER FOOD REVIEW

Another new addition to Manchester’s dining scene – Alston Bar & Beef. Describing itself as THE best place to be for steak the city has to offer – a big statement considering the current powerhouses already dominating the steak scene – I’m talking Hawksmoor, Gaucho, Fazenda etc

Opened up within Manchester’s Corn Exchange, the restaurant is beautifully modern and contemporary, with accents of colour throughout

On first impressions – very insta!

THE DRINKS

Alston is also the first bar in Manchester to offer Cold-Compound Gins, made in-house and infused with plants foraged from around the city. Now, I personally don’t know enough about Gins to say whether this is truly impressive so here’s an INFOGRAPHIC which goes into more detail!

Unfortunately I couldn’t sample anything from the Gin menu as I’m currently 9 months pregnant, so the lovely guys behind the bar made us some amazing non-alcoholic alternatives instead. Both drinks were fruity, refreshingly tasty and beautifully presented

THE STARTERS

Perfectly cooked Scallops and well seasoned throughout. The peas were a welcomed addition but it probably didn’t need that much black pudding

The Courgette & Corn Fritters were delicious and crispy, and nicely finished off with the chilli tzatziki underneath

The Starters

Roast Scallops £13

Courgette & Corn Fritters (v) £8

OPEN KITCHEN

300g Ribeye Steak £31

Breaded Curry Butter Chicken £17

THE MAINS

Prices range from mid to high for the steaks, but they are all served with a choice of chips, mash, vegetables or salad & a choice of butter or sauce

‘Ordered it to be cooked medium and it was presented well. The peppercorn sauce complimented it perfectly’

Chris

I personally don’t eat red meat so I ordered the Curry Butter Chicken, which I can best describe it like an inside out Katsu Chicken Curry.

Served with a squash saag aloo, it was delicious and packed full of flavour

PRIVATE DINING

As we were waiting for our food to come, I did have a quick nosey around the restaurant, and I found a lovely separate dining space – which I thought would be perfect for larger groups or private parties

THE DESSERTS

The dessert menu was varied, with a lot of choice for those looking for something sweet

The Hazelnut Chocolate Brownie with Toffee Ice Cream accompanied with a side of Melted Chocolate. You can’t really go wrong with a brownie and ice cream combo – the whole thing was heavenly rich already, perhaps without the need of the melted chocolate on the side

The Rhubarb & Strawberry Sorbet Sundae was pleasantly light and refreshing with crushed meringues and shortbread throughout, but I thought the overall presentation could have been a lot better

Hazelnut Chocolate Brownie £6

Rhubarb & Strawberry Sorbet Sundae £6

OVERALL

0/10

Friendly & Attentive Staff

Competitive. Mid to High

Modern & Contemporary Decor

Wifi Available

Central Location

Easy To Get A Booking

Would Recommend

We both said we would highly recommend Alston Bar & Beef! The steak was well cooked with a good list of complimentary sides. We really appreciated the alternative options for those that didn't steak, and the starter and dessert menus were also well varied, with a good amount of choice for everyone. The whole vibe and ambience was welcoming and beautifully decorated - which is always helpful to encourage those social shares! - and I also noticed plug sockets underneath the side seats which was really useful for us to recharge our phones! So if you're like me and appriciate the little details, you'll have a fab time at Alston! x